The Pencil Press Is Ready To Roll

No, it's not a college board test. Central Florida is about to get its first magazine about writing, and its organizers are looking for contributions.

The name of the new magazine is Pencil Press Quarterly, and the first issue is due out in September. It will be standard magazine size (8 1/2 by 11 inches), have 48 pages and will sell for $2.95 an issue, or $10 for a year's subscription of four issues.

''We want to sell ourselves as a magazine about writing in Central Florida,'' said Gwen Thomas, editorial director of the newly incorporated Pencil Press. ''It's a lot more than a literary journal. We see it as a consumer magazine with many informational features built around a showcase center of original work.''

Special features slated for the first issue include an interview with Norman Mailer, who recently spoke at the University of Florida; a story on book publishing in Central Florida; an inside look at Central Florida's outdoor literary festival, Authors in the Park; an article on the Southeastern Booksellers Association (SEBA), which will have its annual convention in Orlando in September; and book reviews focusing on works from Florida writers. Among the regular features that are planned for every issue are PPQ Showcase, which will include original fiction, non-fiction and poetry; a calendar of Florida literary events; news about markets for writers; a list of writing clubs in the area; news from libraries; a column geared to children's reading; and another column, Red Pencil, about poetry how-to's.

''There are a lot of writers in the area, but there's been no standard way for us to communicate with each other,'' Thomas said. ''We also know that there are many arts and literary supporters who may not be writers themselves but still would be interested in a magazine like this.''

The idea for Pencil Press Quarterly came about when members of a local writing workshop started getting together informally after class. They formed the Pencil Pub Club, a social group for Central Florida writers. About six months ago, four club members who had batted around the idea of a magazine about writing got serious about the project.

The four corporate members of Pencil Press are Thomas, executive editor Doreen Holmgren, managing editor Charlotte Buak and productions editor Angela Dickey. All are published free-lance writers with publishing experience, and they've already recruited several other writers in the area as contributing editors for the magazine.

''We're still looking for more financing, but we're set for the first two issues,'' Thomas said. ''How big a splash we make -- whether we print 5,000 copies or 10,000 copies -- is still to be decided. But we are going to make it.''

Brochures announcing the first issue and soliciting subscriptions will be ready within two weeks, Thomas said. Meanwhile, Pencil Press is looking for people interested in working on the magazine, as well as for submissions for the showcase department. The magazine will pay $50 on publication for accepted fiction and essays, $10 for poetry.

For complete editorial guidelines, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Pencil Press, Inc., P.O. Box 536177, Orlando, Fla. 32853. People interested in working on the magazine, or who want more information, should call (305) 898-0778.

Pencil Press Quarterly is undoubtedly an ambitious undertaking, but Florida writers and publishers are already vowing their support and turning in endorsements to be used in marketing the magazine. Also heard from was Paul Engel, founder of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, who wrote Pencil Press that ''small magazines are indispensable and have played an important part in American culture. Best of luck.''

Norman Mailer also has wished Pencil Press well in its new venture, noting that he, too, once helped start a little paper. You might know it. It's The Village Voice.